Roll roofing installation, inspection, troubleshooting, repair questions & answers.

This article series describes mineral-granule coated asphalt roll roofing roofing materials, choices, installations, inspection, defects, roofing repairs, and product sources.

Our page top photo an early roll roofing failure when installed over metal roofing.

Q&A on Asphalt Roll Roofing Materials, Choices, Costs, Life Expectancy

These questions & answers about roll roofing were posted originally

at ROLL ROOFING, ASPHALT & SBS - topic home, so be sure to also check out the information given there.

On 2019-05-01 by (mod) - insurance offer per square of roll roofing repair?

Apologies Tim but I don't quite understand the question

On 2019-04-30 by Tim Bowling

insurance wants topay for one ply of roll roofing for $80.00 per square?

On 2018-11-08 by (mod) - free roofing help for elderly

John,

InspectApedia.com is a free information source including on roofing troubleshooting and repair; to protect reader trust we don't sell any product nor service, so naturally we do not have any roofing materials at hand - if we did I'd be glad to contribute.

However we can perhaps assist you in the roof repair project by making sure that everyone has an accurate understanding of the roof situation and of what's needed: what repair will work safely and effectively.

You can use the Add Image button to add photos, one per comment, of the roof in question and perhaps together we can be sure we know what's needed by way of repair and repair materials.

On 2018-11-08 by John

Hi my name is John Cagle I'm trying to help out along with 10 others in our neighborhood an elderly lady fix her roof any roofing materials roll roofing felt paper anything that might be able to help her I can come pick up even if you want a little money for it.

It will be going on channel 13 news in about a month the people in our neighborhood that is helping this elderly lady get her roof fixed we may be able to get your business or yourself name on television if you have anything that we may be able to use could you please contact Johnny area code 727-967-2975 thank you very much God bless

On 2018-06-22 by (mod) - widths & lengths of conventional roll roofing

Bob

Define standard roll roofing dimensions: Typical roll roofing is sold in 36-inch width and in rolls of 33 feet, 34 feet, or up to 36 feet depending on the vendor.

A 36 ft. roll of conventional mineral-granule coated roll roofing covers about 1 square. Weight is probably a factor in roll roofing size limits.

Some roll roofing products such as GAF white roll roofing Type I, ASTM D6164 - Type I, Grade G FM Approved, UL Classified and

Miami - Dade County Product Control Approved roll roofing are 34 ft. long , 3.28 ft. wide [ I think this is an error - that'd be 39.36" - Ed.], - and and cover 112 sqft. (again about 1 square)

A standard roll of roll roofing like this weighs 98 pounds.

Having carried roll roofing up onto the roof a time or two myself I can tell you that you would not enjoy trying to lift a roll that was longer than 36 ft.

When installing 36-inch wide roll roofing, assuming the material is installed with a minimum 3-inch overlap between runs, the exposure will be 33-inches.

The overlap is sealed using a lap-sealant, usually brushed or mopped-on.

That gives a single-ply roll roof - the shortest anticipated life span for the material.

A longer life roll-roof application, or double-coverate roll roofing, overlaps each ply by 50%, giving a 16-inch exposure.

On 2018-06-22 by bob

does rolled roofing top layer come longer the 36ft. lengths?

On 2018-01-19 by (mod) - installing a metal chimney through a rool-roofing-covered roof

Gina

If a roofer cannot install a listed, fire-safe metal chimney through a roof without having to warn you that the installation might leak and she doesn't accept responsibility I would

1. Ask what's wrong with the roof such that an entirely normal and typical roof penetration cannot be installed

or

2. find another roofer

On 2018-01-19 by Gina

Hi. Thinking of installing a wood stove. Roofer will not guarantee that it won’t leak bring installed into a rolled roof? Any suggestions or comments? Our house is old and drafty. We really want to get one. He says not to be scared off but....

On 2017-05-16 by (mod) -

AK

In the 1940's a form of asphalt siding on fiberboard panels in a faux brick or stone pattern was popular for a time.

But simple roll roofing would not form an acceptable building siding material, nor would the material's installation in that use comply with what the manufacturers of it would recommend. For example you're installing it on a vertical surface - where nailing is likely to fail.

On 2017-05-16 by ak

is this a viable option for permanently affixed Siding? No...I am not the one wanting to do it. I have a building inspector stating it is perfectly acceptable, meanwhile the lender is stating that this is not acceptable

On 2017-04-24 by (mod) -

Maxine sorry but I don't understand the question; are you building a roof over a patio or are you for some reason putting roll roofing onto a patio surface?

On 2017-04-24 by Maxine

Would rolled roofing cover an outside concrete patio, un covered?

On 2016-09-20 by Anonymous

life expectancy of roll roofing

On 2016-05-02 by frank

This is great stuff a lot of very use full information from the pros.we can always use it to help costumers with their problems. Keep up the good work cheers

Question: How do I track down roof leaks and decide if leaks are active or inactive? Wet spots & black mold found during interior repairs after prior roof leaks and a new roof installation

We live in a condo building, four story, concrete structure with brick face.

We have had our flat, concrete roof repaired multiple times in the past few years. Last year the roof was sponge-y with water. We had repairs made in all areas as per a building inspector's advice, and a water expert's advice, except for some tuck pointing problems which were terribly expensive, and didn't look all that problematic . Also we installed roof vents.

This summer the roof is no longer sponge-y. It is solid. But the owners of the fourth (top) floor apartment are having interior work done and are discovering black mold and water/moisture coming in in the very areas they want to repair.

The roof LOOKS good, flashing and parapets are tight, caps on parapets are repaired and in good shape, roof surface (modified bitumen) has been sealed this summer and looks to be in good shape.

Is it possible this is still water percolating down from our concrete roof? Or should we be looking for new leaks?

Should we be calling yet another roofer? Or should we be waiting for the interior to be free of the old buildup of water which is still making its way down from the soggy, sponge-y roof we had last summer.

Thank you for any advice you can give us. - M.J.

Reply: Look for & trace moisture or water under the roof, explore for leaks during mold cleanup, don't look just for "black mold"

Our home page for roof leak detection, diagnosis, and repair (where to patch) is

at LEAKY ROOF DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR. Excerpts are below.

If your roof is low slope or flat water travels and it can be tricky tracking down a leak - an inspector using infra red and moisture meters should be able to help sort out the question of whether there is an active leak and if so where it originates. As you report that the top floor occupant has found wet areas, it seems likely that other than concrete and structural members, other wet materials such as insulation will need to be removed - a step that will help trace the size and pattern of wet areas back to inspection points on the roof above.

It's common on large commercial buildings and apartments to simply add another layer of roofing over leaky flat or low-slope roofs. Sometimes the roofer will also put down a layer of insulating board first. As long as the roof can be mechanically secured soundly to the structure, that practice is acceptable in many communities.

But roofing over wet layers of old material can lead to future troubles including

• moisture vapor bubble formation and bulging in the new roof membrane
• difficulty distinguishing between old leaks and new leaks in the roofing system
• continued mold growth in building materials and over longer periods, increased risk of rot or insect damage to wood structures

If the roofer roofed over wet conditions they could take a long time to dry out, particularly if the roof was installed atop multiple layers of old material. You didn't say how long ago the new roof was installed nor whether or not there was a tear-off of old layers. Also, while we like modified bitumen as a roof covering material, the roof can "look good" but could have improperly made seams.

An experienced roofer or roof inspector will look closely at the modified bitumen seams and flashing details to be more confident that at least from above the roof doesn't show obvious leak points. See our detailed response to this question

at LEAKY ROOF DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR.

Also see MODIFIED BITUMEN ROOFING for details about the type of roofing installed on this building. .

...

Continue reading at ROLL ROOFING, ASPHALT & SBS - topic home, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• MODIFIED BITUMEN ROOFING
• ROLL ROOFING, ASPHALT & SBS
• ROLL ROOFING, ASPHALT & SBS FAQs
• ROLL ROOFING, ASPHALT & SBS INSTALLATION
• ROOF LEAK DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR - home
• ROOFING INSPECTION & REPAIR - home
• RUBBER ROOF SHINGLES & SLATES

Suggested citation for this web page

ROLL ROOFING, ASPHALT & SBS FAQs at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to BUILDING ROOFING

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